The death toll from a powerful explosion that leveled an unlicensed fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand rose to at least 10 yesterday, the local governor said as police sought the owner on charges of negligence.
The blast on Saturday afternoon in Sungai Kolok was believed to have been caused by welding during construction work on a building storing fireworks illegally.
More than 100 people were injured in the explosion that left only twisted metal beams still standing as rescue workers picked over the debris, with local media reporting hundreds of homes were also seriously damaged.
Photo: AP
“We have identified 10 people and found parts of two bodies, which we cannot identify yet,” Narathiwat Governor Sanan Pongaksorn told a news conference.
“We are sending to forensics to do DNA tests, but primary reports said they were different,” he added.
Police said they were investigating the cause of the explosion in the building, adding that they believed it was not licensed to store fireworks.
Narathiwat Police Major General Chalermporn Khamkhiew said that shortly before the explosion firecrackers had been delivered.
“We are investigating if those firecrackers were transported legally or illegally,” he said.
“As of now, we do not see any license for possession of firecrackers or firecracker sales,” he said. “We assume the factory has no license.”
The blast detonated about 1,000kg of gunpowder, causing two holes about 2m deep and 6m wide, he said.
“We have issued a summons to the owner of the factory with the charge of negligence, which caused the accident,” Muno District Police Chief Colonel Suthawet Thareethai said.
“We are waiting for him to come,” he said.
Officials said that a command center had been established not far from the incident, and authorities had already received 365 complaints from those who had been injured, or had their homes and property damaged.
“Some government office and private schools were also damaged,” officials said.
Police said of the original 115 injured in the blast, about 106 had been discharged. The condition of those remaining in hospital was not known.
Eyewitnesses reported a huge boom and the earth shaking on Saturday.
“I was playing with my phone inside the house then suddenly I heard a loud, thunderous noise and my whole house shook,” said Seksan Taesen, who lives 100m from the warehouse.
“Then I saw my roof was wide open. I looked outside and I saw houses collapsing and people lying on the ground everywhere. It was chaos,” Seksan said.
Explosions at workshops producing firecrackers and other pyrotechnics are not uncommon in Thailand.
The blast occurred five days after 11 people reportedly were injured when a fireworks factory exploded in northern Chiang Mai.
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